September 05, 2019, 10:04 AM
After spending a few days at home base, she felt antsy again and eager to stretch her legs. Ibis didn't want to go too far from her brother after spending such a long time on the road - and she certainly didn't want to abandon the forest or Mal entirely - so she was slow to breach the forest's boundary. She wanted to find Cam, wherever he ended up. It felt as if she had failed him; unable to process the initial news of Lily's passing, and then to fail in visiting her family to find out the truth and to mourne with them, Ibis was lost in a maze of her own thoughts. The forest felt more like home than anywhere lately, but that didn't stop the pervasive feeling that she was missing something. That she needed to do something. Nothing would bring Lily back and Ibis understood that, but it was her first taste of loss in a very long time and the bitterness of its taste hadn't left her.
After a brief communion with @Okeanos that morning, she headed west, pledging to explore in short bursts and return by evening. If Mal was ever going to get his home settled he would need bodies to defend the claim, or at least more friends, so... With that goal in mind to stablize her emotionally and upon which she'd focus her energy, Ibis slipped from the forest's western edge and drifted in the meadow. Before long the scent of salt beckoned her north, but it got to be so strong (thanks to the growing intensity of foreign smells as the tide swept out for the afternoon) that she sought refuge in the nearby woods.
The weald, though she knew not its name, was a maze - and reminded her of the tangle where she'd once gotten lost. That brought to mind the images of blurry faces; of the black-coated boy, Tux. His intimidating mother whose name she had forgotten, and.. Finding herself at home with her father, those fateful days ago. She had hours to think as she roamed. As Ibis fell in to her memories she lost track of time, distance, the twists and turns of the forest - and found herself trapped within the forest.
It wasn't the first time she'd been lost, nor would it ever be the last. She was calm about it at first; although some of the trees looked haggard and others were black, a few retaining a bland scent that made her nose curl. Still, she refused to let her emotions spill over and spoil an otherwise good day - she'd make it out of this, one way or another. Ibis needed to toughen up if she was going to be of use to Mal, and she wouldn't let herself fall victim to her own twisting thoughts.
After a brief communion with @Okeanos that morning, she headed west, pledging to explore in short bursts and return by evening. If Mal was ever going to get his home settled he would need bodies to defend the claim, or at least more friends, so... With that goal in mind to stablize her emotionally and upon which she'd focus her energy, Ibis slipped from the forest's western edge and drifted in the meadow. Before long the scent of salt beckoned her north, but it got to be so strong (thanks to the growing intensity of foreign smells as the tide swept out for the afternoon) that she sought refuge in the nearby woods.
The weald, though she knew not its name, was a maze - and reminded her of the tangle where she'd once gotten lost. That brought to mind the images of blurry faces; of the black-coated boy, Tux. His intimidating mother whose name she had forgotten, and.. Finding herself at home with her father, those fateful days ago. She had hours to think as she roamed. As Ibis fell in to her memories she lost track of time, distance, the twists and turns of the forest - and found herself trapped within the forest.
It wasn't the first time she'd been lost, nor would it ever be the last. She was calm about it at first; although some of the trees looked haggard and others were black, a few retaining a bland scent that made her nose curl. Still, she refused to let her emotions spill over and spoil an otherwise good day - she'd make it out of this, one way or another. Ibis needed to toughen up if she was going to be of use to Mal, and she wouldn't let herself fall victim to her own twisting thoughts.